Why , Why , Why , when we finally get a chance to chip away at the Aussies do we bottle the opportunity

Crazy to not enforce a follow on in cricket

No wonder Botham was not happy



As Warne has just said ," if we can bowl England out we might just be able to win the game from here "

It's a batters wicket atm so we should use it to get a big lead and declair when around 500 infront then we can have two days bowling at the convicts in changing conditions. I'd have liked to have had another bowl at them but if they'd have racked up the runs and the wicket starts too favour the bowlers in the next few days it could have made the game very difficult for us too win.

How often do we get the chance to make them follow on ?

What would Ponting have done in the same situation ?

There is only one way to win a cricket test match , bowl out the opposition twice , the sooner you can do that the better chance you have of winning the match

Cricket is poo.

No problem so why bother commenting

Now do one Mutant

Not very often i'll give you that



Ponting would have probably done what he's best at and had a good old moan

If only it was as simple of just bowling a team out twice

You have to look at how the weather will change over the next few days. Say England score well today on a batters paradise and get a 500 run lead and the conditions change towards the bowlers (like is forcast) and we bowl the aussies out for 200 it'll be a great win and the country will rejoice. But what if we'd have put the aussies in and they gain a 500 run lead and then have 1-2 days bowling at us in a bowlers paradise hey presto England collapse and we go 1-0 down in the sereis. ATM the conditions suit the batsman so we're using those conitions to our advantage.

You cannot control the conditions , what you can control is the momentum of the match

The aussie higher order batsmens confidence is low at the moment , so stick them back in and try to destroy what little they have left

How does the scenario of bowling them out 3 days into a test and winning by an innings with 2 days left sound

I know you can't control the weather but you have to take into account what the conditions are going to be like tomorrow and the day after and looking at the forcast we'd have a better chance bowling at them tommorow.

Our middle order has been pants too so they may want/need the batting practice. I think they'll come out after lunch and try and move the score on at pace.

How does the scenario of losing a test 4/5 days into a test because the conditions turned towards the bowling attack

I'd have put the Aussies to the sword, but it was worth us batting just to see Pontings face when he dropped a sitter a few minutes ago.

They would deserve the win if they had been made to follow on and then scored 710 before stumps this evening.

or even say lunch the next day.

I agree with Starbug on this one and I do like cricket.

..and Im with Mutt !!!

Well looks like Mutt was right.

Why ?

The last half hour was a farce , Straus sent out the 12 th man 3 times , what was that all about ?

It should have been one message , " when we hit 450 in front smash it into the stand "

The reverse scenario at the moment could have been the aussies all out with a lead of 50 or even less

In reverse, the Aussies would have had a lead of 600 by 5.30 and we'd be about 20-3 off the last hours play.

I agree with Mutt, Leyther 4 ever, Alex,s dad and Strauss.

C,m on Starbug you know you are wrong and I am right as usual.

I feel England did the right thing today, for sure. Managed to build up a decent lead and the Aussie now I feel will struggle.

Bloody rain

At least there out on the field now

1 down already Katich caught Peterson bowled Flintoff.

Anyone remember the victory parade after we last won the Ashes ? The team had to catch a bus in Trafalgar Square and Peterson missed it.

Hughes out caught Strauss bowled Flintoff.

mmmmmm.......glad that was not given against us

The same Ponting that ignored his best seamer when trying to get our last wicket in Cardiff, instead giving the ball to Marcus North?

England Cricket - An apology

We may have previously given the impression that we regarded the English cricket team as a useless shower, who’s batters couldn’t bat, except the gobby South African bloke who naturally can’t be trusted; who’s bowlers have less penetration than a flaccid castrato in a roomful of virgins; and that the team was led by someone who’s practically German, with less tactical acumen than my (deceased) granny. We now understand that Andrew Strauss is, in fact, the greatest cricketing genius since WG Grace and is worth more than Mike Brealey, Bob Woolmer, Duncan Fletcher and Michael Vaughan all rolled into one, and moreover our devastating attack is matched only by our resolute and indefatigable top, middle and lower order. Apologies for the confusion.

I suspect you might have to retract this apology after the third test!